Tone Report Weekly 184 - Page 41

“Trouble in 421”
Incubus
Fungus Amongus
Incubus has covered a lot of ground since
its mainstream breakthrough: rap metal,
space rock, indie pop, and most recently
dubstep. Way back in the early ‘90s though,
Incubus was a group of art college kids
from Calabasas trying way too hard to copy
Mr. Bungle. After the band got signed to a
major label, it only re-released its early LP
Fungus Amongus due to heavy fan demand,
including a letter in the liner notes saying
the band isn’t exactly proud of the music.
The album quickly went out of print and
Incubus has ignored it since, but one track
stands out amongst the goofy stoner funk:
“Under Pressure”
Queen & David Bowie
Hot Space
Who doesn’t love “Under Pressure”? It’s a
soaring masterpiece with Freddie Mercury
and David Bowie arguably at their best, with
the frenetic “Trouble in 421,” cramming in a
sizable amount of energy and tension over
just four minutes. By the time Mike Einzinger
busts out an atypical metal solo, the whole
track feels like it’s about to burst apart at the
seams.
all involved making it seem effortless. What
people often forget though is the album that
it’s on. Queen had big success with pop and
disco singles on its previous LPs and decided
to go all-in, bringing not only synthesizers
but drum machines into the mix. From
the opening track onward, you question if
you’re listening to the Queen you’ve known
and loved. The album has its fans, most
prominently Michael Jackson, who said the
album was a huge influence on “Thriller.”
However, at that time, critics and Queen’s
hardcore faithful rejected the album like a
stolen credit card. Band members Brian May
and John Taylor had harsh things to say as
well, and any other songs in the vein of Hot
Space were saved for Freddie Mercury’s solo
records.
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